Family Blames Kaiser for Cardiac Death

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (CN) – A Kaiser cardiac patient died because doctors failed to act when he stopped urinating, his family claims in court. Sylvia Mack, widow of Anthony Mack, sued Kaiser and two of its doctors on Dec. 17 in Riverside County Court, alleging medical malpractice and wrongful death. Defendant Dr. Amer Jandali, a cardiologist, had treated Anthony Mack for a heart condition for about two years, according to the lawsuit. At a Dec. 9, 2013 appointment, Jandali prescribed medication for shortness of breath and a skin rash and told Mack to come back in six weeks, according to the complaint. One month later, on Jan. 5, 2014, Mack went to Kaiser’s Urgent Care clinic for shortness of breath and was admitted to the hospital, where a chest X-ray showed his heart was enlarged, the family claims. “Mr. Mack was admitted to the telemetry unit and treated with diuretics to enhance the output of fluid around his heart,” the complaint states. Nurses’ notes early the next morning show Mack had not been urinating, according to the complaint. A nurse “informed Dr. Aung that Mr. Mack’s troponin level was trending up, however, no new orders were given,” the complaint states. “Although the Kaiser staff treated Mr. Mack’s condition by providing him with fluids, the staff failed to monitor the input/output of the fluid thereby flooding Mr. Mack’s system which resulted in cardiac arrest and respiratory failure,” the complaint states. The Mack family seeks special and general damages for loss of consortium and costs. They are represented by Nicholas Heiman of Los Angeles.